


A Blast From the Past

by The_Dragon_Keeper



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha Ed, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Ed isn't putting up with any asshole alphas, Handwavey evolution stuff, M/M, Omega Roy, dont edit at 3am, made some minor edits with things i missed the first time revising
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2020-02-27
Packaged: 2020-03-20 18:27:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18998107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Dragon_Keeper/pseuds/The_Dragon_Keeper
Summary: Over the last few hundred years many instincts and physical characteristics of alphas have mellowed out. Things such as protective instincts, pheromones, even their growls just aren't nearly as strong as they were even five hundred years ago. So what would happen if those stronger traits were to suddenly make a reappearance? What would happen if a certain five hundred year old beta had two alpha sons born in the present day?





	1. Fullmetal's Back

**Author's Note:**

> Shoutout to [kotosk](https://archiveofourown.org/users/iginita/pseuds/kotosk) for the idea of this more feral Ed due to him being a direct Xerxian descendant

A knock broke the silence of the office as Roy looked up from the paperwork _he was actually working on this time thank you very much_. "Yes?" he asked.

Riza stepped through the door. "Sir, we've just been informed that Edward is back in central and is planning to pay us a visit today, we expect he'll be here shortly."

"Fullmetal wants to visit us? Why, is he in trouble or something? Is there anything special I should know about?"

"Nothing that I'm aware of sir, and he seemed cheerful on the phone so I don't believe he could be in _too_ much trouble. I think he just genuinely wants to see us."

"Really?" Roy said in surprise as he leaned back in his chair "huh, and here I thought the only way Fullmetal would ever step foot back in HQ was if he was dragged kicking and screaming"

Riza gave him a ghost of smile, "well stranger things have happened sir." 

"True" Roy mused and then smirked "so does this mean I get a break?" 

Riza shot him an unamused look and glanced at the stack of work he's already completed. "I suppose a short break would be fine." 

Roy grinned, _yes!_ and stood to join the rest of his team in the outer office. As he listened to the idle chatter coming from the rest of the room he tried to think of a reason why Ed would be back in Amestris and furthermore what made him want to visit them. He hasn't seen either Elric brother in about four years now. He actually missed them surprisingly enough, especially Ed, he always brought a sort of life with him wherever he went. He missed the way Ed looked at the world; he was expressive and blunt, he always said what was on his mind, and god Roy actually _missed_ that. It was like a breath of fresh air from the usual political minefield he had to deal with on a daily basis. But unfortunately the last time he saw Ed he was wishing him and his brother goodbye as they left for Risembool once Alphonse was stable enough to make the trip, he was still mostly skin and bones at the time but had wanted to finish his recovery back home. 

Afterwards he didn't hear much news about the Elric brothers although he had heard that Ed had presented as an alpha soon after their return home. He honestly wasn't that surprised, he knows he shouldn't stereotype especially considering himself, but Fullmetal's headstrong attitude and inability to back down practically screamed alpha. Roy's sure he was very pleased with his presentation, however that development was something Roy was actually dreading with this visit, if he has to deal with pushy and condescending alpha posturing from Fullmetal of all people he was going to lose his mind. He got enough of that shit from the brass and the other alphas he had to work with he didn't need it from a former subordinate too.

Other than the whole presentation debacle the only other news he really received about the brothers was two years later. His office had received two letters, one from Xing and one from Creta, stating the brothers plans to travel the world and learn the different forms of alchemy. Which again brings up the question, why exactly was Ed back in Amestris?

Luckily it doesn't seem like Roy has to wait long for the answer to that question as the object of his musings chose that moment to slam open the door. 

"What's up fuckers! And captain Hawkeye ma'am." Fullmetal nodded respectfully to said captain as he flashed a grin to the rest of the room's occupants.

As the rest of the room went over to greet him with handshakes and slaps on the back Roy turned to get his first look at Fullmetal in nearly four years, his eyes proceeded to give him a quick once over and then Roy's mouth proceeded to go dry.  
Oh god, those four years away had been _very_ kind to the eldest Elric, his blonde hair was still long but he pulled it back into a high ponytail now instead of his signature braid. His jaw was strong with just a hint of stubble and his cheeks well defined with the loss of his baby fat, _Roy was also secretly a bit jealous as he never managed to lose his_. His shoulders and chest were broad and his arms _both flesh now_ were thick with corded muscle and _oh it should be illegal for him to wear a tanktop_ , evidently Ed hadn't been slacking on whatever his workout routine was. Eyes travelling further down he notes strong looking thighs and an absolutely gorgeous ass. Roy sent a quick thank you to whatever higher being there was that Ed didn't still wear those leather pants, he didn't think he'd be able to stop himself from drooling if he did. He shook himself out of his _appreciation_ of Ed's form as he finally locks eyes with its owner.

"Hey colonel bastard, how've you been?" Ed smirked as he came further into the room.

"It's actually brigadier general now Fullmetal." Roy smiled easily watching as Ed stopped a couple feet in front of him. _No head tilting, shoulders relaxed, not trying to pin him with a stare_ there didn't seem to be any alpha posturing at all. Roy felt his shoulders relax a bit and the smile he plastered on his face changed into a more sincere one. 

Ed seemed to think it over "Nah, colonel bastard sounds better." 

Roy chuckled, he was about to reply when he suddenly caught a wiff of something. He paused and took in a deeper breath, was--was that Ed, was that _his_ scent? Roy shouldn't have been so surprised, all alphas had a musk, but there something different about Ed's. It seemed to be more...potent than it should be, an alpha's day to day musk is never this strong, maybe during a rut _maybe_ but Ed showed no signs of being anywhere near rut. It also smelled good, _really_ good; most alpha's musks smelled okay, some were more pleasant than others, but Ed's made him almost want to purr. What the hell was wrong with him? Roy hasn't purred since he was fourteen and now he was two seconds away from starting up like a kitten because of Ed's scent? 

"-tang, Mustang?" Roy snapped out of his trance to find everyone staring at him with varying degrees of concern. 

"You okay?" Ed asked crossing his arms and giving Roy a glance over, and oh that shouldn't ignite a heat in Roy's stomach like that. 

He straightened himself out a bit and cleared his throat "Yes I'm fine, just spaced out for a moment there." 

Ed didn't look like he believed him for a second but before he could call him out on it there was a knock at the door. Riza opened it to reveal general Lusagi. Ugh. Of course Roy couldn't have a bit of happiness at work without having to deal with this joke of a general.  
Once Bradley's men were stripped of their titles and arrested after the Promised Day many officers were promoted due to necessity, Lusagi was one of them. The man had previously used his family's money and influence to practically buy his way into a brigadier general position and was then promoted to general after the Promised Day. He was a complete sham and to make it even better he always hated Roy, didn't think it was proper for omegas to be officers, especially high ranking ones. It only got worse after he became a general, while he used to only have to deal with a snide comment or two now he would show up for the most trivial things just so he could watch as Roy was forced to play the respectful and subordinate soldier. Roy strongly suspects the man gets off on the power play and while he can't outright proposition Roy that sure as hell doesn't stop him from making disgusting comments about what an omega _should_ be spending their time doing. All in all this man never fails to ruin Roy's day whenever he shows up. But the show must go on, so Roy dutifully salutes the general, biting back the urge to simply deck him in the face.

"At ease everyone" Lusagi said as he sauntered into the room, he leered as he spotted Roy and began to make his way over. 

'Here we go again' Roy thought bitterly. However when Lusagi was about half way there he seemed to finally notice Ed and stopped in his tracks "And who is this?" 

"This is the retired Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric. He was in central and decided to come for a visit." Roy stated, keeping his voice as professional as he could.

"Oh" was all Lusagi gave in response, but he didn't move any closer to Roy. That was odd, normally the general enjoyed invading Roy's personal space. But now he seemed almost stuck in place, his eyes never left Ed's and he was becoming noticeably more twitchy as the seconds passed; standing up straight, tugging on his sleeves, repeatedly crossing and uncrossing his arms. Roy finally looked over at Ed and noticed that his eyes had gained a cold steely look to them as he stared back at Lusagi and he barely moved a muscle.

"Hey" Ed replied, his voice sounding rather cold and gruff.

Roy was about to say something, if only to get Lusagi out of here faster, but something made him pause. It was Ed's scent again, only it was different this time, it seemed hotter, spicier and it was making Roy's blood boil. 

Okay he needed to stop this he can't get turned on like this at work, especially not near Lusagi. 

"Was there something you needed sir?" Roy asked

Finally Lusagi looked down and broke the staring session, that seemed to be enough to snap him out of his stupor and he backed up a few more steps "Yes uh-I just wanted to remind you I um-need that report on East City by tomorrow." He stammered before nearly running out of the room, slamming the door on his way out.


	2. The Train To Central

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey sorry about the long ass haitus here. I blame a combination of ADHD, college, writers block, and the fact I've never written a story before. ANYWAY I will try to get future chapters out in a much more timely manner, sorry about the wait!

Ed drifted off into his thoughts as he stared out the window of the train at the passing scenery. He had spent the last couple days at a small inn on the edge of Creta, mainly to make sure he had all of his notes together and didn’t leave behind any unfinished business. Once he was sure he had everything he left the small village of Veria and crossed the border back into Amestris for the first time in over two years. It still took him nearly a day’s hike to reach the nearest town of Xoporor and board the train heading towards Central. 

Now about eight hours into the ride he was regretting opting out of paying for a sleeper car. At least then he could’ve passed some of the time unconscious instead of just staring out the window bored out of his mind. 

That was one of the first things he learned when he and Al had split up to travel to different countries, train rides were a lot longer when you didn’t have anyone to talk to. Unfortunately for him, however, those tickets were just a bit too pricey. He had saved up enough money for groceries and the first few months rent for a decent apartment once he got back to Central. It was enough to last until he settled in and had access to a more stable income, but he still couldn’t really afford a lot of nonessential things at the moment, including sleeper cat tickets. So he was tasked with finding someway to entertain himself. 

He spent the first couple hours of his trip going over his notes, revisiting new arrays, and working on some theories and equations. But soon he had hit a snag, there was one particularly complicated theory that was giving him trouble. Unfortunately there were only so many ways he could try to rework the problem in his head, and without a book to pull references or new additional information from he was pretty much stuck, so he decided to give it a rest until he could find a library.

After that he decided to look over the photos he collected over the past couple years; most from his time in Creta, a few from the brief time he spent in Aerugo, and a decent amount from Al in Xing. Important things like Ling’s coronation, Mei’s village, Al and Mei together, and Lan Fan having to deal with a Ling who had just eaten his way through an entire banquet, were all documented in film for Ed to see (and keep as blackmail of course). And while the photos and letters had distracted him for a little while he still eventually ended up staring out the train’s window watching the scenery change from the heavily forested western lands to more sparsely covered areas and eventually larger cities as they got closer to Central. 

Fuck, knots had been forming in his stomach ever since he got on the train, and the closer he got to his desination the more intense they grew. Who’d ever thought _he_ would be this excited to be back in Central, he wasn’t exactly subtle about how much he hated reporting back when he was still a dog of the military.

Although- he thinks to himself -that’s probably exactly why it’s different. He’s going back to Central because he wants to; not because he has to report back to someone, not because it’s a part he’s forced to play in his game with the military, but because he actually genuinely wants to.

He missed the hustle of Central, it was so different from the quiet tight-knit village of Risembool where he was raised. There was always so much to do there and the people were...different. They were diverse in a way that just didn’t exist in a small farming community. Ed _liked_ that, he liked all the different ways people in the city could live because it demonstrated what he liked most about cities, the opportunity. There were so many different ways people could live because there were so many different opportunities available to them that people in the countryside just didn’t have.

Al and him had gotten lucky, Teacher had just been passing through Risembool, and he’s not sure what they would’ve done if they hadn’t found her. They were two kids without any parents or connections who lived in the middle of what was essentially nowhere, how were they supposed to find an alchemy teacher? That’s part of the reason Ed decided to come back in the first place.

Soon after the Promised Day, when he had already resigned from the military but before he left Central, he received a letter, it was an offer from one of the universities in Central. Apparently they had wanted to start offering a few courses on alchemy there. At the time Ed didn’t really think about it, he was far more focused on his brother’s recovery and afterwards on his travels. He ended up reading through it a couple times but never actually replied or gave it much thought.

However, when he was nearing the end of his research in Creta he found himself thinking back to that letter more and more often. The idea seemed almost ridiculous to him, alchemy wasn’t just something you could learn in a couple semesters. Al and him had studied alchemy on their own for years before they even found a teacher, and after that they had trained under her intensely for nearly two additional years before they felt confident enough in their own abilities.

How was he supposed to teach something so complicated in such a short amount of time? So, at first he dismissed the idea, but as time wore on and he got closer and closer to the end of his work he spent more and more time thinking it over, until before he knew it he was fucking imagining _lesson plans_ of all things. Maybe they couldn’t become masters in that short amount of time but he could at least give them a good start, and by the time his research was wrapping up he figured he should probably have _something_ lined up for work, considering he couldn’t actually perform alchemy anymore it’s not like he could just freelance around and do odd alchemy jobs for pay. 

_So, why not give it a shot._

He decided to write the university and see if they were still interested, and after having to do some ridiculous shit to prove that _yes this was actually Edward Elric_ they were very excited to have him accept their offer, even if it was four years later. Luckily since he had written them towards the middle of the school year they were able to work out all the details and finalize everything over the summer so he would be able to start this upcoming year. And since this subject had never been taught at a university before, there was no guidelines Ed would have to stick to. He could teach his students whatever he wanted, when he wanted, and how he wanted. _Good_ , that way he could make sure none of his students go out and do anything stupid.

 _Like go out and join the military_ Ed thought to himself with a smirk.

That right there’s another thing he never thought he’d miss; not the military itself _fuck no_ , but his old coworkers. If someone had told his twelve year old self that one day he would miss a group of soldiers as deeply as some of his own family he would’ve alchemized them to a wall.

But, here he was, the knots in his stomach growing tighter with every town he passes through. His excitement only rivaled by his anxiousness, and not for the first time he finds himself wishing he had stayed in touch better. The only real communication he had with them over the last two years was when he sent each of them a postcard from Creta, outlining his and Al’s travel plans. Other than that the only updates he got came from any news that managed to travel over the border. Which wasn’t much.

It sure as fuck didn’t help that every once in a while he would come across something that would remind him of one of them. Some sort of new tech Ed didn’t understand but knew Fury would have fawned over, different foods and unique meals he thought Breda would love, hell, even exceptionally rainy days would have him imagining Mustang’s irritated (and disgustingly cute) pout.

Before he could dwell more on _that_ particular detail Ed was pulled out of his musings by movement out of the corner of his eye and what he saw when he looked over nearly made his blood _boil_. 

When he first got on Ed had chosen to sit at the back of the train car since there were fewer people and he had wanted some semblance of quiet to think. A few stops back he noticed a young man take the empty seat across the aisle from him, a small courtesy sniff told Ed he was an omega, but that was the extent of their interaction.

 _Now_ , Ed noticed another person had decided to join the omega. An older man, _alpha_ his nose told him, had chosen to sit with the omega, had chosen to sit _directly_ next to him, not even across, practically crowding him into the window.

Ed felt a growl build in his chest as the scent of a distressed omega reached his nose. He quickly glanced at the other passengers and, yup! Sure as shit nobody else bothered to look up from what they were doing even though the scent was as clear as fucking day at this point. 

That was something he noticed after his presentation and it never failed to piss him off, how could people just fucking ignore this when that smell alone was enough to tell them there was something wrong. How could another _alpha_ ignore this when Ed’s own instincts were practically screaming at him to do something.

 _Not on my fucking watch_ He thought to himself, like hell he was just going to turn a blind eye to this shit. He watched the man tense as Ed’s own scent responded to the omega’s distress call. 

That was a trick Ed had picked up after his presentation, scent manipulation. Apparently it’s supposed to be a particularly difficult skill for an alpha to learn, usually taking years of concentration and discipline to master, and even then it only really allows the alpha to suppress their scent without the aid of blockers.

Yet, for whatever reason Ed had been able to get the hang of it pretty quickly. He didn’t really know why, maybe it was because he already had the discipline he needed from studying alchemy? That explanation didn’t feel quite right but he had been too focused on his other tasks to bother thinking about it for very long.

In addition to the normal scent suppressing that technique allowed, Ed had also managed to learn to do something unheard of, consciously change his scent. He wasn’t even aware he _could_ do that. Scents were tightly tied to emotions, you could learn to suppress it but to outright _change_ it so that differed from what you were feeling was something believed to be out of the realm of possibilities.

And yet, when Ed had been trying to comfort an omega he had run into back in Creta after they had had a bad encounter with an especially nasty alpha, he was able to -almost instinctively- release a calming scent, despite the fact that his emotions at the time were heavily focused on aggression and _hunting down the asshole responsible_ , not so much comfort. _That_ ability had thrown him for a loop, and he actually spent about a week holed up in a library searching for anything he could on the topic. All he was able to find were some old stories that suggested some alphas could do this hundreds of years ago, _maybe it was just something that showed up from time to time_ Ed had concluded. He would do more research into it later, but for now he figured it was best not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

That peculiar skill had come in handy a surprising number of times during his travels when he had to regularly deal with assholes just like this. Alphas who used their secondary gender as an excuse to act like a complete dick. Through previous experiences Ed had figured out a good combination of scents that would both comfort an omega while at the same time scare off any unwanted alphas or betas. It was this scent that currently had the sleazy asshole next to him -as well as a few other passengers- squirming in their seats. 

He watched as the man grew more and more uncomfortable; crossing and uncrossing his arms, tensing his shoulders, sweat beading around his temple, and glancing over at Ed with increased frequency until eventually he snapped. “What’s your fucking problem!?” he snapped. 

Biting back the urge to just throw him out of the train window then and there -couldn’t really afford getting kicked off of the train right now- Ed ignored him and instead directed his attention to the omega. “Do you know him?”, he received a head shake in reply. “Is he bothering you?” he asked in a softer tone, a short pause and then a nod. Ed looked back at the other alpha with a raised brow. 

“So what? It’s a public car I can sit wherever the fuck I want to!” He snapped again arms crossed and eyes purposefully avoiding anyone’s gaze. He clearly didn’t expect to actually be called out and to hell if that didn’t piss Ed off even more. 

Ed shrugged, “Alright” he said and watched as the man’s shoulders relaxed marginally. Bastard probably thought Ed was just gonna drop the subject.

_Like hell_

He watched the man’s shoulders tense up again when instead of going back to staring out the window, Ed grabbed his suitcase and made his way over to their side of the car. Huffing slightly as he sat down at the other bench directly across from the two. He took his notebook out and started to flip through its pages, pretending to read while keeping one eye on the other alpha, his scent only growing more potent from the decreased distance between them. 

They were now locked in a -pretty one sided- fight for dominance. Ed struggling to keep his calm facade while he allowed his scent to take on a stronger edge of aggression. The other alpha continued to sit, jaw set, arms crossed across his chest, but his scent clearly betrayed his display of anger. It was tinged with a sour note.

_Anxiety_

A scent Ed had become surprisingly familiar with these past few years. Ed watched out of the corner of his eye as the man grew more and more fidgety as the sour smell grew more pronounced in his scent. His eyes glanced around the room, looking everywhere except for Ed. 

Suddenly he jerked up, slamming his palms down on the table in front of him as he finally stood, stomping away like a spoiled toddler. As he passed him, Ed allowed his scent to spike briefly and for a small growl to slip from his throat, just loud enough to be sure he heard it. Judging from the increased sour tone to his scent and his quickened pace he's guessing it worked.

With the asshole out of the way Ed finally turned his full attention back to the omega. 

“Thanks” he sighed giving Ed a small, relieved smile as his shoulders relaxed marginally.

“No problem” Ed replied, tucking his journal back into his coat as he grabbed his suitcase, heading back to his original seat. He cracked the window once he sat down, wanting to dispel the traces of that other alpha’s nasty ass scent.


End file.
